


Children of Grave

by AngelsMayDie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, M/M, Magic, Multi, Perhaps next update, Too tire too tag, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 09:33:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8527990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelsMayDie/pseuds/AngelsMayDie
Summary: In a snap, hundred-year old Doyoung finds himself in line to the crown of Xeo Cucio, the vampiric domain of the frozen-hearted. He gained such power but he lossed everything he cherished - his freedom, his family, his light.  He vowed.Vengeance upon the flagrant,whethervampire,human,unversedordivine.





	1. Prolougue: Genesis of the Hosts

 

 

 

Earth – for the past eons, was the cradle of diverse lives coexisting into an unwritten law of harmony. Dragons, humans, vampires and even gods roam the face of the planet.

 

Human race is considered below other creatures – extremely volatile instinct, impermanency of life, impervious to many diseases, despite all flaws, they successfully proliferate – thriving more so than other beings. Their multitude exploded into the legions, outnumbering any species.

 

As the human population grew exponentially, so does their necessity. Directly or indirectly, they violated other genus leading to reduced count or even a race’s total demise. They trampled elves, harvesting their mana, until the can no longer practice their gift of magic. They harvested unicorn horns, for what? – for whimsy, other species couldn’t tell, even other humans couldn’t tell, either. If there’s one vintage of sentience unaffected by the humans, it would be the vampires.

 

Human thought that they were the closest image of god. Their haughtiness permeates their minds and imprints younger humans to believe the absurd propaganda. However, the apex of all beings was the vampirism. They lived hundreds of years, increased immunity and holds discipline in every aspect. Yes they fed on human blood but humanity is not their survival, they are supplements of colossal strength. They eat what humans do. They only submit to bloodlust when triggered of death. Their discipline and etiquette evolved into something more noble. The vampires can now attain such physical power – though less potent, with just animal blood. They were elegant. Even in quenching their thirst for crimson blood of humans, they do not fully drain their body lifeless just as sip to dampen the demons within. They aspire peace and unity.

 

The humans’ inept narcissistic idealism continues to transmogrify into a more grieving, self-serving avarice. Where as their individual prowess were feeble, their shear number, intensified with horrid aggression. They wage war among vampires. Vampires did not immediately retaliate. They humble themselves, believing that there’s no good in what human seek. War would only instill hatred not only between the two races but other co-inhabitants of Earth. Children would grow fatherless. Mothers would be burden with restlessness. The Earth will fall into a somber darkness.

 

They tried to bargain. It seems that peace talk will bring forth a tranquil resolution. But when all things seem to be working, the first blood has been spilled. It wasn’t a human blood. It’s the vampire’s. Vampires were never slain with puny human weapons. Blood would gush but vampire hearts never ceases. They only know of natural death bye age and burst total willingness to embrace the eternal sleep. But for the first time they, the world witnessed a vampire fall dead by humans.

 

So the humans had walked the path of the ungodly. Their creativity already transcended to destruction as the gave birth to the titanium ferrite – a substance made solely to cut a vampires life. It inspires confusion and panic among the vampires. They were no longer invulnerable.

 

The gods are fed with human insanity. They can will the entire human population away from the surface of universe, but they allow them second chance. Instead of obliterating the entire race, the equipped vampires with the capacity to bend nature to some degree – not fully like the deities but marvelous still, just to even the scale.

 

Demons don’t exist, at least on their own. They attached themselves on other creatures – fed on them, and end them. It seems like the some of vampires abused the gifts of the gods. They let their hunger consumed them as they never felt this unstoppable before. With their newfound strength, they also found a new problem. Humans were already subdued but the vampires uprising turned twisted as they strike fear.

 

The gods were crestfallen. They new the risk that creating a world with sentience and free will but they opted to weave this reality because of faith, that whatever they may create they would find what really constitutes them. They were proven wrong; the cries of infants were unbearable. They were about to wipe out this universe and return to clean slate but they halted.

In the middle of the bloodbath, a human and a vampire have risen up and declare their love not only unto each other, but also the love of all that represents life. Many, both humans and vampires oppose, but it’s difficult to contradict.  The human was none other than their Queen and her soon-to-be consort was the vampire’s King. Their affections to their subjects were admirable. Both royal and both are servants of their people.

 

Soon their unity was celebrated and the war has ended. Their love is the absolute symbol of harmony. The marriage was prosperous for the first fifty-years. The union brought the calm. But it seems that the calm is temporal. The Queen’s health is declining. Many speculate this would come as human is more frail. The news brewed trouble to the humans. They fear that if the Queen dies, the human would not be duly represented.

 

The King offered a solution – to convert their beloved Queen into a vampire, extending her life, their love and the world’s peace. The King’s idea was pure, he too feared that his beloved wife would wither and he would stay for more years alone, but some humans wanted the world to burn. Rumors of the conversion of the Queen would never do good since she will be reborn as a vampire – still no human to represent their entirety.

 

 

The Queen’s last day draws closer. The couple was in their chamber, in their bed. The King’s face was still radiant with youth, while the Queen’s were graced with age lines. In spite that, the King lovingly stares at her sleeping figure. Her body is tired, breaths are uneven but the spiritual calmness was obvious and apparent in the way her eyes are closed.

 

The calmness however descended as the Queen was already holding her last wind. It inflicts a sense of longing upon the King. The King tried so much to preserve his wife’s dying wish – to stay human. But he falters, he abandon the duty of a king and a husband and let the lover in him act. He draws his fangs, sunk his teeth in her neck and tried to inject life in her dying body in an attempt to restore his dearest. He poured all his emotions. He wanted more moment to share with her. He desired more years of laughter, sorrows, learning and loving with only her.

 

Their subjects entered the chamber and behold the sight of the King. They shot him mercilessly, claiming his life on the spot. The incomplete transfiguration of the Queen did not alleviate her from death as she falls for the perpetual slumber.

 

The news of the Queen’s death spread like wildfire – but contorted. The news bear that the cause of her fall was her husband, the King’s insatiable bloodlust. This solicits the humans’ anger. The vampires were shocked and they loose their self-respect. The King, the man they aspire to be, their own model of elegance, discipline and piety let himself be devoured by his own instinct. The conflict warranted hate. Humans now crucify the vampires but the vampires cannot retaliate. They already lost their morale, they are too afraid of themselves. They blindly believe that they were worthy of all the persecutions. They fear that they might kill their love ones in that moment of weakness. Vampires are the monsters.

 

The vampiric race is soon to be wiped out. The humans hold the last eight young vulnerable vampires captive. They were screaming, as they knew that this is the last extermination. The most powerful youngsters are arranged in a circle in the middle of a stadium for the human’s entertainment. The last eight sons of the vampire are ripened for slaughter. They crowd were in a violent cheer. “Monsters!” they screamed in condemnation. As the masked man about to deliver their death, the entire world submitted into an odd surge of tranquility, as if they were never perturbed. In the middle a woman appeared in an ethereal glow as if she was the moon. The crowd was confused with the lady. She is hauntingly bearing the belated Queen’s face and grace and the disgraced King’s charisma and commanding aura.

 

“I’m am Invaldi. The last daughter of the vampires and I vowed truce.” The people were astounded for they all new that the supposed heir was crippled in mind. The princess was not able to speak but the King and Queen did not hide her totally. They concealed her identity because of her immense power. She possesses perhaps the most powerful ability existing. She can influence emotions. She can control minds. She can bend wills. Invaldi can’t kill a single body with force, but she can kill every sentience and logic. She can destroy not a man, but she can poison a family or even an entire civilization. She was after all, the only daughter of the moon.

 

She unleashed her power. It’s the dark side of the moon. It steals the sun’s light, as she had stolen the human’s emotions and feed them with what ever she wanted. But Invaldi was no monster. She was the lady of virtuosity for she learned from the best – the framed King. With humans’ subdued under her influence; she made them agree to a contract of coexistence. In the terms, they should free the last sons and give them their freedom. In exchange the remaining vampires shall never touch blood with their lips, and will be governed by the human laws as if the vampires were one of them.

 

Several thousands of years later, the vampire ‘coexisted’ with humans. By coexisting means, the vampires living in peace, not intervening with human business – whether the kill themselves, enslave their own kind.

 

Through those years the vampires immerse themselves in their own world building nine strongholds –named in the honor of the last eight sons and the last daughter that brought salvation while the whole blood line is at the verge of extinction, that oath to protect all the vampires existing.

 

The House of Fire – **Quae Legathon** , they are the emblem of courage, houses the ring of flames. Vampires of this clan are passionate and brave. They are beacons of order and honor.

 

The House of Water – **Emperata** is the realm of the tidehunters. They surge through the sea with fortitude as wanderlust courses through their veins. Just like water, vampires of Emperata are vital, for they are critical creators and natural survivors.

 

 **Validuur** , the House of Wind, is the clan of whimsical and pixie vampires. They are the nature’s proliferators. They maybe considered happy-go-lucky, but the are a force to reckon.

 

The Earth’s pillars consolidated the **Pallas Catria**. They are the strongholds of enforcers – they are not stagnant but strong-willed. They validate before they vindicate.

 

The House of Nevermelt Ice, **Xeo Cucio** , is the winter of justice. Rather than cold hearted – this house is home of self-less vampires as encased all their emotions in an iceberg to deliver clarity and objectivity. They are the utilitarians.

 

 **Supereminenti** , the domain of Lightning’s children, they are infamous for their mischief but destruction is not in their nature. Lightning is a friend; their children are the epitome of friendship.

 

 **Excelsi** , the House of Vision, cradles the wisest philosophers and clairvoyants. Their power lies not on themselves but to enhance others.

 

The realm of sun-worshippers, **Araggón Sol** , was the place of life-givers. Like the sun and its grandeurs, they nurture any kinds of life forms with all they’ve got.

 

And the last house, **Invaldi** , with the providence of the moon priestess, they are hopeful and the guide among the darkest nights.

 

Together, the nine houses ensure the life of the remaining few vampires. They protect each other and live in harmony...until...

 

 

 

_Earth, Moon and Sun poised and aligned_

_Lo' skewed in a piercing energy_

_The son of eclipse would be bred and thine_

_Then heaven and ground would sing its elegy_

 

 

 

_Though the Earth and its constituents would asunder_

_The child of time would revel and lull_

_Should the terror destroy or squander?_

_Mercy and divinity would watch the cull_

 

Xi Luhan, the host of Excelsi, the highest oracle was assaulted by a painful vision. The oracle was the most pure, the most royal and the most accurate. He prevented a lot of destruction over the course of time. Most of his visions are clues, key matters and never an entire event. However, this vision was the most bold and at the same time, the most vague. It presents him a scenario of unspeakable horror – humans and vampires alike are submerge into a bloodbath as their surroundings are engulfed by flame, frozen corpse stood solid in a cross, tides and storms ravages the land as they also seize the sky and sea and the total eclipse was about to prime and behold by all creatures on the face.

 

 

After the malefic visions, words burned his eyes. Words were never present but this time it drained the oracle, as he never stopped reciting the prophecy. His eyes are still white and the trance keeps him locked in the labyrinth of the mind and future until he repeated the same lines for exactly a hundred times.

 

 

“The son of eclipse, the fruit of venerable Lady Invaldi and generous Lord Araggón Sol, would bring destruction to Earth.” The host of Xeo Cucio offered his interpretation. There were no other interpretations thrown. Maybe the apocalyptic vision kindles farce and fear among the witnesses or the ambivalence of the poem puzzles even the greatest minds of vampires of Excelsi.

 

 

The only available interpretation heightens the existing consternation. And only two options can be drawn from it– destroy the whole houses of Sun and Moon or watch the world destroy itself as the vision foretold, both alternatives not favored. No words were spoken, they all knew the option but the choose to be imprisoned in the stillness until the Host of Pallas Catria breaks the tension.

 

 

“We can’t just kill our brethren’s, that’s absurd!”

 

 

“We submit to voluntary suicide.” The host of Araggón Sol whispered. Their clan’s altruism expedites into infinity, conquering every problem with sacrifices but this is beyond infinity.

 

 

“There is hope!” The Host of Invaldi interjected. “I cannot fathom this, Lady Invaldi herself gave us hope! To live!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those were the last exchange of the last Hosts of Invaldi and Araggón Sol. That night, the realms of Sun and Moon were no more, so as the Eclipse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doyoung closed his book of Ancient Genealogy and put it on top of his nightstand, he was too exhausted but he opted to check his phone for updates and relieve stress from studying. He tapped the icon of Pokemon Go and he was elated that a freaking Magikarp with a 217 CP, sitting at almost 100 percept CP gauge, was flailing and splashing in his bedroom, no lakes or lagoons nearby the mansion, no water in here definitely. He was even too lazy to take a bath the whole weekend! But he was so giddy to use all the stardust and great balls he hoarded from PokeStops. With this uber Magikarp he will surprise butt whoop all the gyms and pave the way of Team Mystic to its glory! – once he farmed enough candy to evolve it into a Gyarados.

 

He was dancing a hybrid of genres in his pink bunny-printed PJ’s. He’s almost sure that when he’s parents barge in at the moment he would not only be grounded for using his phone after curfew but also he would be sent to either a dancing school or mental asylum, both Doyoung never wished.

 

After a successful catch, a call from an unknown number caused his phone to buzz.

 

“Hello?”

 

“I missed you so much, Uncle! Be there in a jiffy.” Doyoung scrambles off his feet not forgetting to get his warm jacket to drape himself from the cold embarassment of his nightwear.

* * *

This is just a prologue sorry for being short and boring but I would like to create my own universe. Nothing much happening but I swear this is important... hope you enjoy!

 

XOXO


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

 

Kim Dongyoung is flighty.

 

He dreams about unicorns’ and their fancy horns, elves and magic, the eternal life cycle of phoenix. He believes in these mysticisms and he vowed to at least be a witness of something paranormal – special once in his lifetime.

 

He dreams but with eyes open, wide-awake. Despite being a man of science (or at least a student of biology), he had this inexplicable confidence that somewhere out there, they exist.

 

“Mr. Kim, the one with the weird hair color. Care to explain what Ion Exchange Chromatography is?”

 

“The most popular method for the purification of proteins and other charged molecules is ion exchange chromatography. In cation exchange chromatography positively charged molecules are attracted to a negatively charged solid support. Conversely, in anion exchange chromatography, negatively charged molecules are attracted to a positively charged solid support. The adsorption of the molecules to the solid support is driven by the ionic interaction between the oppositely charged ionic groups in the sample molecule and in the functional ligand on the support. The number and location of the charges on the molecule and on the functional group determine the strength of the interaction. By increasing the salt concentration, generally by using a linear salt gradient, the molecules with the weakest ionic interactions start to elute from the column first. Molecules that have a stronger ionic interaction require a higher salt concentration and elute later in the gradient.”

 

“I wanted to hate you right now Mr. Kim, but that topic would be for next month’s discussion. Anyway good job, but you should at least pretend your listening to me and not blatantly playing with your phone instead. Class dismissed.”

 

Doyoung wanted to be a doctor, too.

 

In spite of his unorthodox beliefs, he aims to be a medical doctor because his mother told him so. Normal teenagers would be iffy when their parents got to choose their child’s degree but for some odd reason, Doyoung was always satisfied with his mother’s choice. He admires his mother’s taste. He loved his mother that much. He loved his family that much.

 

As he was taking the bus ride taking him home, opened his mobile phone and checked his Pokemon Go. He was a little addicted – well a lot actually. He adores pocket monsters. He is a fan of these critters that possess such power like those in his fictitious books.  He was drawn too much in the game, catching 10 eevees and other Pokémon ‘fodders’, that he was already in his stop.

 

Sometimes, he wonders why is he the only one who’s using that terminal, and why is he getting strange looks from the driver and co-passengers every single morning he waits at the shed or every afternoon when he signals for his stop. But right now he didn’t care. He always has these awesome folks in his town – no need for judgmental stares from them.

 

Mrs. Park, the owner of the only baker in the vicinity, was waving at him and cheerfully smiling.

 

“How was the university, our Doyoungie~”

 

“It’s so-so, quite stressful actually, but nothing unmanageable. The usual, ajhumma.” Doyoung replied and handing the lady exact bills for his purchase.

 

“Here you go – croissant for your father, blueberry bagel for your mother, sweet Brioche for sweet-toothed Gongmyung, Baklava for Bogummie, macaroons for Jisungie and Mille-Feuille for our delicate Doyoungie.”

 

With a smile, he takes his leave and walked. Before arriving, he came across familiar faces of townspeople, Mr. Jun the postman who’s always in a hurry, Mrs. Mana the resident gossip girl chatting with the innkeeper, Sir Kled the retired war veteran and Grandma Cho in her rocking chair enjoying the calmness of the pre-evening. Doyoung greeted them with a warm smile – they returned the gesture with equal warmth but at the back of his recalcitrant mind, they seem cold – no pretention or anything but their smile seemed... rehearsed, programmed, perhaps. Doyoung paid no heed. He too was aware of his mind’s violent tendencies – must it be that he is a fanatic?

 

He reached his house. It was a humble abode, just enough for a family of 4 rowdy sons and a domestic garden. “I’m home.” Doyoung announced as he take off his shoes and putting the purchase in the table.

 

“I caught a 582 CP Psyduck. In your face!”

 

“Good afternoon to you too, my dear hyung, Gongmyung and good riddance to Team Instinct I’ll crush you with my 612 CP Eevee.”

 

He and Gongmyung had this special affinity towards games. They like bashing each other’s ego to the ground. The competition between brothers were nowhere near friendly but not bat shit personal; it’s professional – well at least to Gongmyung who loves to be a lazy parasite, as he is still unemployed by choice despite having complete limbs and an engineering degree. He thinks being a Pokémon trainer is a real career now that Pokémon Go is released.

 

“Gongmyung, you bum! Get dressed or I’ll cut off your allowance!” There was a shrill voice of a woman booming from the upstairs.

 

“Of course Madam Choi! Just a sec.” Gongmyung yelled back with equal fervor.

 

“See you Mystic loser.” With that older of the two disappeared in his room.

 

Choi Sooyoung descending caught his attention. Doyoung could tell that there’s something very important happening as his mother’s get up is definitely scarce. His mother barely suits up with dresses – she is more of the tomboy type, functional and comfy clothes were her go-to everyday attire; those represents her hyperactive attitude and general positivity, just perfect for gardening and taking care of the big baby Gongmyung. Even in special occasions, like graduations or family dinners, the most she dressed with is flair pants and now she’s poised with an azure gown flowing. Her gorgeous hazel eyes were carefully lined with kohl, accentuating it even more. Lacing her neck was a sapphire stone inlaid in sterling silver that complements her overall aura – commanding, dignitary and impossibly youthful. Aside from the simple make-up and necklace, there were no other embellishments on her – simple yet beautiful. For Doyoung, she was the queen.

 

“Is Gongmyung finally having a job?” Doyoung asked out.

 

“How I wish that that day is today.” His mother busied herself with her hair, trying to contain them in a bun.

 

Doyoung let his mother take a seat as he tried to help her mother’s hair crisis. “Then what’s with the get-up?” Doyoung get a closer look at her mother’s gown. The bodice was hugging her petite figure seemingly to impress anybody who could glance like she is the queen of the night.

 

“Thank you, honey.” After successfully taming her locks, she gets up and turned towards her precious third son and bestowed his forehead a gentle kiss.

 

“We’re meeting your brother’s fiancé.”

 

“I didn’t know Gongmyung could fish somebody, may that person’s soul have the god’s mercy.” Doyoung felt an impish impact in his shoulders.

 

“Punk. Not my fiancé. It’s Bogum’s.” He turned around and he was a little surprised of how dashing Gongmyung look in a three-piece suit – he looked far too respectable than the house infestation Gongmyung. He could definitely hook with somebody, if only he could be mature enough to accept responsibility. Nothing screams sexier than a man who acknowledges his responsibility – well in his books, that is.

Their exchange was interrupted as a very handsome and sharp-looking man garbed in sable black suit walks down with a hand holding the banister and a giggling toddler in his embrace wearing fabric as expensive as man. The child was still giggling as the man imitates a baby’s voice, talking to the small cherub and peppering him with quick kisses in between words.

 

After overcoming the flight of stairs, the man was standing next to them. He was considerably short next to Sooyoung who’s wearing gleaming grey flats. “Come here, sport.” Gongmyung took the little angel in his arms and hugging the little angel in a suit, a rope of gummy worms now dangling his little mouth and trekked on somewhere – the garage probably, Doyoung guessed as Gongmyung’s chore of choice is driving for the family.

 

Kim Minseok looked handsome as always. His pygmy stature doesn’t let his natural majestic glow and kingly aura fall short.

 

“Wait! You’re basically abandoning me in this house? I wanted to go, too.”

 

“Aren’t you tired from school honey? Just rest, okay. We got this.” His mother was convincing him to stay.

 

“But mom, I ain’t a preschooler.  I’m turning twenty tomorrow!” he reasoned.

 

“The more reason you should sleep, son. It’s your birthday so you should rest because tomorrow is another day to grow.” His father was rubbing circles on his back and consoling him.

 

“That’s why you didn’t grow.” Doyoung meant it to be a whisper, just audible for himself but he earned a harsh pat from his father and a hearty chuckle from his tall mother. He was a little thankful that he’s a lucky baby for getting the right physical gene combination from his parents – his mother’s stature and his father’s face.

 

Bogum was the last one to go down. His wardrobe of choice was always impossibly horrendous but with a body and face like his, he managed to turn the unworkable ensemble into a catwalk material. The eldest among the Kim’s sons, Bogum, was revered for his handsomeness and gentle demeanor. He looks like the perfect bachelor – mothers would dote their daughters on him or themselves. Doyoung admire Bogum’s equanimity – the eldest was always collected and calm. He may look cold and mysterious at first impression but his smiles are unbelievable warm and homely.

 

“What are you now? A cotton candy?” Doyoung didn’t mean to be a little sassy, he is irritated. Being left out is not a good feeling – though temporal.

 

“She liked pink.” Bogum’s carnation long-sleeves clung on his physique, boasting his wide shoulders and well developed chest muscles. A white bowtie laced his neck. He was wearing white straight cuts and a standard black leather for his kicks. He looked like a fresh and expensive gift carefully wrapped in par expensive taffeta.

 

“Isn’t that too much? As if it’s your first time meeting her.” Bogum’s eyes flashed a look of panic for a fraction of second but it changed to his cheeky glint. It must be the younger’s imagination.

 

The rest of the Kim entered the van, waving the desolated Doyoung goodbye. He decides that sulking would have him nowhere so he freshened up and change to his favorite PJ, preparing midnight snacks – popcorn, skittles and lots of Coke to chug on, for a marathon reading.

 

He started with “Ancient Genealogy” a rare gem he found in the restricted area in his father’s massive collection of thick and dusty old tomes. It picks his attention in an instant Doyoung laid his sight on it. The book didn’t belong to the other thick books that are in hard bound and inlaid properly with its corresponding titles. However, this one is eerily covered in midnight black velvet and no words carved or printed in the cover, even in its spine and there is no pagination either.

 

Doyoung was a fast reader.

 

But he did underestimate the book. The words were shockingly scribbled by hand in a delicate fashion – each first letter of a chapter historiated with grand ancient stylistics but the subsequent ones were almost a fine print. The sparse spacing didn’t do any good, too.

 

It took a while for him too finished the book, but all the insipid narration was bearable because the fantasy within was conspiring beautifully – as though the book is retelling the actual history of vampires. Vampires, in his spectrum, was the least to possibly exist of the ‘fantastics’. His logic (and the prejudicial bias imprinted by Holly vampire movies) dictates that it’s too irrational not to walk without the sun but this book made him hopeful that vampires could exist – even some are sun-worshipers.

 

The night is getting deeper and Doyoung is preparing to talk a sleep – of course after updating his Pokémon Go. However, his phone beeped.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Missed me?” a strong, virile voice questioned from the other line.

 

“Uncle Jonghyun!”

 

“I’m at the front yard.” “Be there in a jiffy.” Doyoung scrambles off his feet not forgetting to get his warm jacket to drape himself from the cold embarassment of his nightwear.

 

When Doyoung came out oh the house, he eyes his father’s younger brother, Kim Jonghyun. The man was on par with his father’s height, quite short, but with impeccable aura. His edgy face is eclectic and bleak at first glance, but deep inside he is a man of generosity and grand piety.

 

“I really envy you, my dear nephew. How could you be so towering like this?” This is why Jonghyun is his favorite uncle, well not that he had any other even on his mother’s side – but it’s simply unthinkable to not like this uncle showering him with compliments.

 

“So in a matter of minutes, it’s your birthday already. Hmmm...What gift would be suitable to my Doyoungie~” Jonghyun’s hand balled and was situated below his strong chin, seemingly in serious thought.

 

“No uncle! You’re already enough. Just be healthy and live more years.”

 

His uncle vanished into the other side of the van parked in front of their house.

 

“Not even this?” Doyoung heard him and he followed the man to know what he’s talking about.

 

“SHUT UP! This is awesome, uncle! Mother won’t let me have my own car and Gongmyung is hogging the family car.” Behind the van, was sleek black sedan, looking pristine.  Doyoung can’t hide the excitement. Owning a hot ride is a dream come true.

 

“Why don’t you give it a test drive? Be right back.” Jonghyun said as he held out the car’s key.

 

“Are you going to the engagement party, too?”

 

Jonghyun feels apologetic for his nephew, but he couldn’t possibly bring himself to disobey his brother – it’s for the better, after all. After faking a devastated face, he giddily takes the key, opened the driver’s door and starts the engine. The pistons charging, the steel clashing with each other, the raw vibrations of the contraption, these send him into a rush of adventurous spurt, pumping adrenaline in his system. He loved everything about it – the color, how it can fit just four persons, the smell of the leather upholstery, it’s perfect.

 

“RAWRRRRRRRRR!”

 

His heart skipped a beat when a startling pressure is applied at his back. Due to panic, he stepped on the accelerator and break at the same moment causing the car to ramp forward abruptly only to be halted in an instant. The sudden motion got the perpetrator – or the pertrators rather, to bump their faces at the back of front seats. He looks at them and he felt a surge of delight like he felt for his uncle.

 

“Johnny? Ten?”

 

“My nose hurts.” Johnny is clutching his now red nose.

 

Johnny, who’s tall and standing proud, with a dandy hairdo, was his uncle’s only child and arguably his favorite cousin. He’s the epitome of godly looks, bad humor – at least errant to compensate, always thirsty for adventure.

 

“Technically, I’m your present, this car is mine.” Ten said grumpily as he was nursing a bump in his forehead.

 

Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul is his best friend as far as he remembered. He was utterly cute that it’s borderline disgusting considering the fact that he’s older than Doyoung. If Johnny was always on-the-go, then Ten is the source of all vim and vigor. He’s ten times more energetic than Johnny and he has actual sense of humor compared to him. It was hard for them to engage to the well-deserved group hug, but somehow with the long overdue of yearning and youthful zest, the three squeeze themselves in the cramped space.

 

“Guys I missed you! But I’ll miss this baby more.”

 

“When you mean baby, is it the car or me? Because the car definitely yours to keep.” Johnny said. Doyoung couldn’t hide his happiness. Something tells him that this will be the best birthday ever – not an hour past 12 a.m. but he couldn’t desire anymore.

 

“So...up for catching some ghost type Pokémons?” Ten asked holding out his phone and letting Doyoung see his blue badge.

 

“Mystic Brother, I’ve got a dozen of lure modules, shall we crush Valor and Instinct?” Johnny too was hopeful he would agree, of course he always had his way with bribery. He lets the youngest see that he wasn’t lying – in fact; he was being conservative as has 213 modules waiting to be installed in his stash.

 

“But the nearest stop to install this is like 3 kilometers away from this town...” One of the qualities Doyoung prided himself is his natural instinct to withdraw from any activity that will throw him in the middle of turmoil. He wasn’t a bad luck magnet, too, thankfully. He wasn’t like Ten who is walking trouble but still cool enough to sliver his way out or Johnny who’s just plain unlucky or even Gongmyung who even seeks inconvenience himself when he’s perfectly okay.

 

It’s not that he’s tired of following the rules but just this once, Doyoung wanted to live his life dangerously – if you qualify ghost hunting with mobile app dangerous, then it is.

 

“Then what is the use of your ride? Display?” Johnny coerced him more.

 

“Something tells me that this isn’t right but...what the hell! I can be grounded all month long. I have you two. And my roster is in drought of ghost-type, too.” Doyoung rationalized.

 

Doyoung finds himself maneuvering the wheels and driving away from his peaceful town and down the route to nearest playground. The route oath to be long but the travel was short, no other cars traversing the stretch of the highway and disregarding stop lights altogether. They even spotted a rest stop so they bought some junk – chips, M&M’s, energy drinks and more chips, to enjoy while diligently abusing the game.

 

The park wasn’t bound by the road, so the trio have to walk past a hundred meter of greeneries concealing the clearing. The playground was very accommodating and properly maintained. The red slides were squeaky clean and there are no missing swings and the night lamps illuminating them were probably good as new.

 

Time seems to have been in a race. Thousands of Pokeballs thrown and wasted, hundreds of Pokémons ‘enslave’ all for Team Mystic’s glory as Ten, Doyoung and Johnny lose track of time. The supposedly thirty-minute quest, turned into an hour and it turned two. Four a.m. was already was approaching and the fourth module will expire in 2 minutes mark.

 

A minute left before the lure module terminates, Doyoung sense an uncanny force observing them. He tried to look away from his screen, eying Ten and Johnny, to see if they could fell that, too. The older ones were calmly fidgeting on their respective mobile, too immerse with their own world. Doyoung opted to ignore the ominous feeling, regarding it as a side effect of massive sugar and caffeine intake and mild sleep deprivation.

 

Five seconds ‘til the module completely shuts down. Four. Three. Two. One. The lights suddenly went out, impairing their vision effectively. Doyoung was in state of paranoia gasping out here and there but his companions aren’t equally disturbed.

 

“Just calm down Doyoungie. Follow my voice.” He heard Ten’s voice cajoling him. He took three steps backward following the source of the voice he bumps on to something bleak, sturdy and lifeless.

 

“Ten? Johnny? Where are – AHHHHHHHHHHH” Doyoung felt a tenacious grasp on his arms, binding him. He was in panic mode as the seemingly non-living figure started moving, hushed blusters emanating from its invisible mouth – it feels so vile and inhuman. The constrictor’s fetter wasn’t that strong but he feels his energy being drained slowly.

 

“HELP!” He knows at this point, it’s futile to fight back. He was losing courage as his hearing is losing its sense, his eyes already closed, not out of fear but the lack of will. Doyoung felt an arm – a human arm tugging him away, releasing him from his captor all at once.

 

“Hold on, okay?” It was Ten’s soothing voice.

 

He can open his eyes and the only thing he can see is a pair of purple orbs. Doyoung realized that he is being carried like a sack of rice by Ten whose eyes sparks lilac. He’s wondering what’s happening. What kind of creature was that? Why can Ten carry him with ease? Why are indigo static volts pooling in his best friend’s short body? Was Ten paranormal, too.

 

“Johnny, Seven traced a massive abhorrent energy from where we parked. There’s a hoard of those waiting there. We have to find a new path.” Ten uttered but Doyoung was certain Johnny is nowhere near them in order to hear those.

 

A blue vertical ray from the other end of the premise giving him a glimpse of the playground that is now plagued with levitating black robes sliced the darkness momentarily. Their anatomy could be similar to a human but the hoods that should contain the face were void. After the initial burst of light, he saw Johnny wielding a massive fractal scythe three times his height. The weapon radiating with the same blue light was humongous but its sheer size didn’t bother Johnny as he swing it with grace with just a hand – chopping off the incorporeal bodies. True enough, the floating specters were intangible but as his cousin slices, he was deliberate aiming for the air and not the unknown creatures.  Johnny the raises his free hand forward and a majestic gargantuan sigil materializes and forming a box containing the clutter of robes and solidified in an iceberg. With a snap of Johnny’s fingers, the ice shattered in millions of shard and a smog of dark energy evaporated from the cold explosion. “Are those...Dementors? Oh my god! You are a wizard too, Ten?”

 

“It’s not time to reference Harry Potter, Doyoung-ah!” Doyoung wanted too see paranormal, but now that he is in first hand experience he definitely wished he never were. His life is too high of a cost. He wanted this to be unreal, but the scalding friction from the air was real. Ten’s violet energy is real. Johnny, for the first time in ages looked super cool and should be unreal but it is. Ten, still carrying Doyoung, dashes to Johnny.

 

“Lissandra couldn’t stall the hoard any further.” Johnny’s voice filled trepidation.

 

“But I cannot possibly carry two bodies, both of you will die of electric shock if I used my real body!”

 

Doyoung wished he is just taking drugs or smoking weeds right now. His cousin and best friend are talking nonsense. It’s better to be high and inhibited than be genuinely ignorant.

 

Johnny opened his mouth, revealing an elongated fang that could slice human flesh. It scared the bejesus out of Doyoung but Ten smack his cousin’s head. “What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“I’m trying to save our butts here, you ingrate!”

 

“By what? Giving him some of your blood and awakening his powers? Are you that hell-bent? And then what? Lady Choi would probably bind us for a year you ignorant boob! What if he turned into a badborn? How will explain this to the King? Huh!” Ten was shouting nonsense at the top of his lungs as if he was trying to reprimand the taller. However, Johnny sunk his teeth in his forearms, expecting sanguine red blood to gush out but it oozed a crystalline stream of fluid. Johnny forcefully shoves the lacerated forearm with cold liquid in Doyoung’s mouth.

 

“Drink up, cos. This would be painful but it’s much bearable than your ass being handed to you by those suckers or your mother kicking our sorry behinds. Trust me.” He tried to swallow the Johnny’s ice-cold blood preparing for coldness to take over. Instead of chill, Doyoung’s body falls into a fever. His veins were burning and an excruciating sensation courses his system. His innards were on fire, every cell being cauterized in a caustic finale. He dropped to the ground; constantly clawing his eyes, his stomach, any body part his hand could reach to dampen the torture and then he stopped and stayed transfixed like a lifeless vessel.

 

“Oh my god you murdered him!”

 

“Shut up! He’s the third prince, he’s strong you nutjob!”

 

Doyoung regained his consciousness but he felt foreign from his own skin. He opened his eyes but he wasn’t aware that his caramel orbs evolve into phantasmagorical hues – shiny cerulean contained in deep lapis lagoon for his right eye and snowy white dotted with small black in the middle for his left. His orange hair blended to the darkness as it transform to midnight black. He found a new torrent of power but with an alien feral hunger that seems to not relinquish for years.

 

“Johnny? Ten? What’s going on to me?” Doyoung was inspecting his body, his skin is bathed in an ethereal glow, similar to his parents and Bogum, even Gongmyung. His had a hard time closing his mouth since there’s something protruding in it. He touches them and traces their origin, only to find that the offending objects were attached to his teeth or an element of it.

 

“RUNNNNN!” Ten shouted as he helped the dopey Doyoung on his feet. Doyoung run on his soles and he felt weightless – nimble and spry. He tried to push his limit as the ocean of wicked dusk continued to pursue them. Ten was running in a helter skelter even his heightened sight couldn’t follow. All he could see are violet static trails of Ten and occasional electric blast directed towards the dark creatures to downtempo them. Ice shards were pelting down and he looked up and finds a huge span of glacial wings spreading elegantly as it glides the evening breeze. Johnny was at the top of the eagle-like animal trying his best to conjure ice walls as barricades to sedate the floating hoard but as some of it stopped frozen, more comes to replace in a never-ending regeneration.

 

“Doyoung-ah! Do you see that town?” Ten screamed at him from different directions as he transpose in lightning pace. He nods. It’s his town. He could recognize it by its shape but how can the infrastructures be devoid of color. Buildings, trees and even wild animals were moving naturally but they are transparent, like crystals magically bestowed with sentience.

 

“Could you see the force field?” Ten continued to ask him.

 

“What force field?”

 

“Look closely!”

 

“I can’t see it!”

 

“Fine just dash in passed the runes.”

 

Doyoung was sprinting as fast as he could, he’s 500 meters away when he spot ancient runes carved in the frozen domain and pulsating like summoning a protective energy. Johnny’s frosted bird already entered the barrier and Ten was holding back his speed to escort him.

 

“Just a little more!” Johnny shouted as he hones razor-edge shards, hurling them at Doyoung’s marauders. Four hundred more meters, Doyoung started to feel drowsy, fatigue taking its toll on his body. Three hundred meters, the tides of dark creatures turned higher looming at him but Ten stopped for a while and his milky skin started to crack and then completely shed revealing a purple mass of energy. The sky roared, six purple sigils forming David’s star invaded the black dawn and lighting raves from heaven strikes the creatures of dusks, clearing the massive wave. But despite the insurmountable voltage released by Ten, the hoard has still a multitude of soldiers lurking in the horizon. Two hundred meters left. Doyoung stumbled on a lone stone, displacing him from his tracks and stumbling on the ground. The rest of the creatures were closing the gap. Johnny goes out of the barrier again to rescue his cousin. “Just a hundred meters Doyoung-ah! Live!” Ten already metamorphosed into an energy being. He couldn’t possible carry Doyoung without electrocuting him to death. He just discharges more shock waves and hamper the hoard.

 

“Touch down!” Johnny has still the audacity to be cheerful after being almost killed. Ten reached the barrier in a blink, and the dark hoard collided to the rune blockade, vaporizing them as the made contact.

 

“Phew! That was close!” Ten declared as his skin grow back to the flesh.

 

“No shit, Sherlock!”

 

“Elementary my dear Waldo.”

 

“It’s Watson.”

 

“No you’re my Waldo. You’re hard to find and now that I have you, I would never ever let you go.” Ten wrapped his arms around Johnny’s neck and pulled him in a passionate kiss.

 

“I knew you’re gay for each other, but please spare my virgin eyes.” Doyoung is sprawled in the ice, heavily breathing, catching the air to cool down his body but he is happy for the couple. He knew that there’s a tension between those two since their childhood but he couldn’t pinpoint the reason at all.

 

“Question number one. Am I a wizard? Cuz I didn’t get my Hogwarts letter in my eleventh birthday.” Doyoung raised his right hand cutely asking a question like he is in a classroom setting.

 

“No.” Doyoung pouted like a kicked out puppy. “We are vampires. And you are exactly a hundred years old today.” Johnny said.

 

“Question number two. Are those black flying thingy Dementors?”

 

“No.” Once again, Doyoung got things wrong. If this would be an exam, he’ll bet his mother will be crazy about his score.

 

“Xer’sais, they are humans who tried to open the gate of void and travel through, but the void swallowed them and spitted them back in changed form.” These things were correctly defined in the right manner but it seems to Doyoung that it’s more absurd than Gongmyung finally growing his balls to actually find a job. Vampires, magic, flying dirty laundry, Doyoung finds them hard to process all at once and Ten and Johnny seemed calm and expectant at him.

 

“I’m seriously going to mental but last question.”

 

“Fire away!”

 

“What are those flying silver blades falling from the sky?” Doyoung pointed at the heavens. The two elder’s look up and Johnny was in hysteria again.

 

“What silv – TF’s! Shit! Titanium Ferrite. Evacuate.”

 

“But TF couldn’t really kill vampires. I tried stabbing myself before.” Ten was confident.

 

“But those aren’t normal TF blades, it’s glowing murky green. They are reinforced with mana and unicorn essence. It could obliterate us!” Now Ten is in panic, too.

 

They rush out from the barrier and witness the rain corrode all ice inside. Doyoung felt more and more weak and he let his eyes close for good, settling in oblivion.

 

* * *

 


	3. Clueless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heads up for made-up terms for members of each house:
> 
> Valid - Validuur  
> Emper- Emperata  
> Legath - Quae Legathon  
> Xeon- Xeo Cucio  
> Catrian- Pallas Catria  
> Excelsian- Excelsi  
> Suprem- Supereminenti

 

* * *

Doyoung likes to sleep on his stomach. Plopped down like a tadpole.

“Honey, wake up. It’s time for school.” He heard a gentle voice and lithe fingers playing with the strands of his hair, stirring him from unconscioness to wake him up.

“Mom, I’m already in college. I have the license to be absent.” Doyoung was inexplicably exhausted. His limbs felt sluggish, lids too heave to open, and brain too blasted to function. He never felt this drained before – not even close to working out for 4 hours straight. It’s somehow a recherché – losing his jubilant will to attend classes and his mother not harshly pulling out his hair to will him awake.

He felt a slight weight that makes his bed plunge. Soon he was assaulted with short fruity kisses from small pair of lips at the back of his head as petite pads of a child’s fingers tickling his sides. The tickling stopped but he felt a pound mounted him like a foal. “Hyung~ Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” His lips formed a sleepy smile. Doyoung was already wide-awake from Jisung’s wake-up call but he pretended to be dormant so that the youngest would rain more kisses on him. He flipped over playfully knocking the youngster off his back who burst a fit of giggle and continued to make them believe he was still sleepy. Jisung now climbs on his stomach. “Doyoung-hyung~” he planted more kisses on his face in a sweet attempt to get him out of the covers.

“Alright! I’m up.” Doyoung climb down his queen-size, situating the toddler in his embrace and jaunt to the kitchen where whiffs crispy ‘ol bacon where coming from. He wasn’t actually certain if it was bacon but just the sampled scent made his mouth water.

It must be one of those days that things too good to be true came in actuality. Gongmyung, fiddling at the stove, is holding a scorching pan, cooking, not burning the meat nor ruining it in any form but actually frying it to perfection. “Is it 2012 all over again?” Doyoung manage to splutter a ‘brotherly insult’ like the daily drill but the too-good-to-be-true streak has yet to be broken as the elder offered him with a smile and a brotherly advice ‘bout truancy. In his defense, his parents’ were actually notified that he wouldn’t be in the university learning so his not misrepresenting his attendance. Minseok, his father, and Bogum were busy arranging the dining table while Gongmyung is in the cooking station.

Doyoung settled himself in the left of his father’s capitol while Sooyoung takes her rightful place, at the nether capitol of the table. “Breakfast a la Gongmyung is served.” Today’s chef presented his ‘exquisite’ dish with bravado while gently placing the steaming meat next to the 5-minute older batch of sunny-side ups and mashed potatoes.

After gathering around and saying their graces, Doyoung sunk his fork in the what-seems-like bacon, spilling the first juice. Without further ado, he devoured the meat. A strip turned to a mound and Doyoung has probably eaten the most in his years. He even ignored the eggs, just inhaling the meat. Was this pork or beef? The question was impertinent to his enjoyment but something tells him that he oaths to know – for future reference like emergency birthday party? What? Meat makes party a party. He thinks so. “So where did you buy this meat?” He asked while slouching and patting his bloated belly, feeling the now prominent food bump. “Why? Do you like it so much, Doyoung-ah?” His mother asked sweetly.

The whole progression of events of the morning is hefty of miracles (Gongmyung did not even put up a fight for the last piece like he always does with the last pizza slice in the box) and he can’t deny the swelling in his heart but in spite of everything, there something ominous about this. “It’s Mrs. Park’s.” Jisung said in his baby voice while adoringly licking his fingers covered in specks of food from the messy eating. “What Mrs. Park? Mrs. Park as in the baker? Did they plan to open up a bistro or something?” It’s not that expanding business doesn’t add up but change in the town was very rare...rare...for the last 15 years, there’s no addition to the locals, no big developments, same old peeps and their same old habits, but today must be special as rare as it could be, pretty much like what’s happening at the Kim’s household.

“Mrs. Park’s thighs were delicious!” Bogum declared. Doyoung was shook. The comment was inappropriate in so many levels. One can call him a diva but Doyoung thinks the dear elderly baker was too ancient to be qualified as hot. What’s more shocking is that the slander came out from the gentleman, Bogum himself. It was more shocking that Gongmyung concurs. He was disoriented but his parent’s affirmation of the offending statement got him thinking that it wasn’t meant to be sexual but what the hell do they mean with ‘delicious thighs’? “Ah! Guys, the conversation’s getting weird. I’m lost. Can you enlighten me?” It must be the high of heavenly food that makes things nonsensical in his mind.

“It’s Mrs. Park’s meat, silly!” His mother said while stacking up the used plates and cutleries while the Kim boys’ butts were practically glued to their seats from that intense breakfast.

“Ah! Sorry but are you’re backtracking way too much. I already got it. The meat came from Mrs. Park...yadah yadah...Now explain to me how did Bogum’s mouth gave birth to the ‘Mrs. Park’s thigh was delicious’. I’m lost.”

“Sweetie, it’s Mrs. Park’s thighs.”

“God you’re not making sense or am I not making sense?”

Jisung jumps from the toddler's high chair and landing in his little feet then taking mini steps. The marble tiles echoed each time the toddler’s feet came in contact with it. Everything turned eerie as if the morning beams were being defiled by blood-curdling darkness. “Hyung~ We just ate Mrs. Park.” Jisung, now fanged and bane, opened the fridge, revealing mutilated torso – detached hands and forearms where carefully placed at the top of a maimed body, a dismembered head with no eyeballs in it’s socket and mouth hanged horridly open and clearly forced as the crushed white teeth were spilling its remnants is in the bowl being marinated in cold blackening blood.

“Dessert?” Bogum handed him a sanguinary shaved ice on a parfait glass, freshly harvested eyeballs topping the cold confection.

“And boy she was delicious!”

“You loved it, don’t you Doyoungie? You loved BLOOD! RIGHT? YOU LOVE EATING HUMANS, RIGHT?”

-

Doyoung shuttled up from his unconscious state. Cold sweat beading in his forehead as the nightmare was futilely chasing him to reality. It’s just a dream, he assured himself. The uncivilized breakfast, the Dementor-like creatures chasing him, getting a car as a birthday present, all of those were just a bad dream, thankfully. He chuckles to himself as he recalled how Gongmyung, the lazy ass Kim Gongmyung, away from his gaming consoles and trying to cook. Now that’s impossible.

Dismissing the bamboozled ride his messed up mind conjured, he focuses on his surroundings that he deemed not his. The beddings, sheets & blankets, where too clean for his taste and there was no lumps protruding from his ten-year old mattress and poking him during restless evenings. The walls were too white and sad, too. All these white was not sustaining any tranquility at all, just making him nauseous.

Before his sanity escape him, Doyoung found Ten’s small body uncomfortably slumped in a chair beside him. His eyes were lidded with sleep but dark circles were dangling beneath. His forehead is crumpled too. Doyoung can’t think what could possibly make this sunshine stressed out, nor find a reason as to why his clothes were formal and grandly black contrasting the dominating white. He tried to jump out of his bed and give Ten a proper surface to sleep but he winced at the sudden jolt of pain in his right ankles causing the sleeping figure to shot his eyes open and worry takes over. “Doyoung-ah, you shouldn’t move yet.”

Ten assisted him in taking his injured leg back to the bed and securing it between the fluffy pillows. A barely noticeable door in camouflage with the white ensemble opened and his cousin entered, dressed equally formal as his best friend. Whereas Doyoung was filled with satisfaction, Johnny's face was livid. It was unusual to see a dark solemn expression in his face, even in his dream; Johnny would always hold happiness in him or at least an ounce of optimism. But this Johnny was nowhere near the Johnny in his memories or in his recent nightmare. His eyes were red and puffy and tearstains were evidently flown and Johnny did not bother to hide the fact.

“Cuz? Are you okay?” Doyoung asked the taller in absolute solicitude of his well-being and the only reply he manage to get was ‘I’m sorry.’

“About what? What are you apologizing for?” He asked and Ten looked away while Johnny’s eyes became glassy as tears threatening to pour and trying to suppress a choky sob. “Not now, Hon. He needs to sleep more.” Ten attached himself in the elder’s back so he could share the weight of Johnny’s burden. “He needs to know. He has the right to. He’s already unconscious for five days.”

Johnny takes the spot next to Doyoung. Ten followed suit in the other side and started petting the back of his head. “You’re family...” he started and anticipation is eating him alive “I’m so sorry but they all passed away.” This is absurd.  
“That is not a good joke, Cuz.” How can that be?

“I wish I was. I wish I was.” As soon as Johnny let go of his tears in silence, geysers of emotion shuts Doyoung’s system.

“That’s impossible.” Doyoung was in a deranged laughter, confused and completely lost. He started slapping his own face. “This can’t be real. I’ll just wake up from this. Sooner.” He propped himself back and forcing sleep thinking that any minute now, he would wake up from this nightmare and have good amount of adrenaline pumping to start yet another day.

I'll wake up, eventually.

Minutes, hours and tick tacks of the clock proved him wrong.

-

“How are you holding up? Well, I hope.” His aunt or that’s how the lady introduced herself since he has no recollection of the woman asked him. Doyoung wants to snap. He wanted to slap somebody. That was an insensitive and unintelligent question. In an instant, everything was taken from you – you’re family, security and even the will to live and now he had to deal with a bunch of people whom he had no knowledge of paying condolences and sympathy for what? Respect?. How can he be okay? He was way far from okay but he only dismissed her with a ‘Yes I’m fine’, too tired to burst, too tired to live perhaps.

He was drained. The service was unusually upscale and lengthy from all the speeches of his father’s ‘friends’. If the death of his family wasn’t enough to take in, his heritage did not help either. It just made it much worse.

The last goodbyes are uttered, empty as those were, and the funeral rites are served so the vampires started dispersing. The orphan did not shed a drop of tear throughout. He’s destroyed but no fluid escaped his eyes. It’s not that he’s smart and pragmatic enough to know that crying would not magically bring back his family. It’s just that it won’t come out.

Even his tears betray him or were they taken away too?

He looked at every guest as they leave, occasionally nodding polite farewells and wishing a safe fare as snowfalls were harsh in that vicinity. Soon the crowd wears thin that only his uncle, his cousin, his best friend and the jars of his family now reduced to ashes were left in the icy halls.

The sky cried for him as snow turned more violent but the silent mourning was halted with a knock on the door and Jonghyun instruct the intruder to come in.

"You're not alone. I'm still here." Ten assured him, rubbing comforting circles in his back and bringing him a warm red liquid to drink and giving his best to uplift the orphan. "You need a dose of blood so as to contain you're odd hunger." He food the smell to be too rich but too inviting so in one clean sweep, he downed it, rallying the immense pleasure though his throat.

“Your excellency.” A young man in a constricting attire entered and bowed formally as he acknowledge their presence. Jonghyun maneuvered his wheelchair with his hands, left seemed normal but his right was made of ice. Jonghyun bid the kids to leave the room for privacy. “Have you found the animal who did this to us!? MYUNGSOO? TELL ME IF THE SCUM IS IDENTIFIED!” His uncle said vehemently and the Johnny and Ten need no apparatus to hear the conversation as the man screams the vitals of it. Kim Jonghyun was one of the few survivors of the attack. He lived but at the cost of his eye and his right arm.

“I’m deeply sorry sir but there are more urgent matters at hand. The Bureau of Peace requires the presence of the next heir of Xeo Cucio.” Myungsoo didn’t even flinched from Jonghyun’s outburst.

“How come that’s more urgent? I know this is the plot of humans. They can’t keep their shit together. They wage war among themselves for land and what? They want ours too? We’ve been occupying and consuming less and less, us vampires don’t populate like pigs. And what does the Bureau do? Keeping peace by kissing human asses.”

Myungsoo just shrugged off everything and handed Jonghyun a file of paper but the look on the recipient exudes impatience as always. “Sir, according to the report the suicide bombers were definitely humans but there is no evidence as to what are their intentions or who is behind these attacks. There is no established correlation with attack of the palace, the engagement party with Quae Legathon and failed attempt to infiltrate the Crimson Well, as the attacks were dissimilar in execution and hence, regarded as independent from each by the investigators. Primary suspects like the radical anti-vampire party did not take responsibility any of the attacks, too saying that the machinations were too complex and ambitious as well as professionally delivered.”

“That’s absurd! The bombers were humans. That’s enough to conclude that they were planning this!” The injured man convicted.

“But sir, the attack on the engagement ceremony was deemed the most improbable to be executed by humans themselves since the invitation itself were the only circulating in a tight group of high officials, hence they suspect that vampires who knew this affair may partake to this abomination.”

“That’s trite and condescending! Everyone in there was dead! Only 5 survived! They defaced two kings and an heir. No vampire would ever desire the end of brethren. Not considering other casualties, those lives alone bear enough weight to warrant a war!” Jonghyun cried foul, remembering his brother’s final struggle. Jonghyun knew that growling wouldn’t accomplish a cent so he dismissed Myungsoo.

Myungsoo came out, he greeted the boys and handed them envelopes. “This is from Crimson Well. Young masters are being summoned immediately by the headmaster. She desires to inquire about the fiasco.”

“Why am I suspended!” Ten screamed while holding out a parchment from the envelope.

“This isn’t your first time. Stop overreacting.” Johnny said coolly, not minding the contents of his, not even opening it.

“This is your first suspension letter how come you’re not freaking out! It goes in permanent record.” Ten stated.

“You should have seen this coming, using your powers outside the premises of the school. I’m sure the headmistress would understand and revoke the suspension. It’s just protocol.”

“No shit! But those rabid Xer’sais were at our heads. I’m not letting him them touch me!”

“Pardon my intervention young masters but the Bureau was skeptic with your report as Xer’sais are good spirits, they lurk in the Black Swamp to protect other creatures, away from cities of humans. Somebody must be summoning them. But any who, I shall take my leave. And nice too finally honor you prince Doyoung, not that I wished for you lost, but I believe in your capabilities and judgment just like the late King and Queen. I’m at your mercy, Your Highness.” Myungsoo tipped his head with so much reverence that Doyoung felt obligated to reciprocate.

  
-

  
Doyoung looked again to his reflection on the car window and appraised his appearance – right eye, blue and deep; left eye, white yet strong; dark hair fringed back and white highlights painted majestic waves on his locks; perfectly pressed dres-shirt wrapped his torso and a white and purple stripe necktie completed his outfit. He looked beautiful but he knew he was cursed.

  
Only a week had past from the day of the funeral and he was already bombarded with a battalion of unfamiliarity. In that short span of time, he learned about his town, rather his castle frontier and how did it seem normal one’s naked vision. He learned that everything living in that small municipality was Gongmyung’s maneuvering for he possessed the gift of living ice and it’s his mother, a benevolent Lady of Excelsi, that tampers their senses to perceive these sentient of ice sculptures as they are projected, how they sound, how they feel like truly living and of flesh. Doyoung was informed of his father’s mystic, as he was the only vampire to contain energy itself. Bogum, too, was deemed to be the greatest heir for he was born with Nevermelt Ice just like the first host of the house – a shard deemed so true that only hellfire could thaw. But what’s peculiar with the royal family of Xeo Cucio was that their children were never allowed to practice their gift until reaching their first century.

  
He rubbed the sapphire pendant he received when his family’s legal counsel reads the last testament of his parent’s. He learned how wealthy they truly are – establishments and businesses around the world that Gongmyung manages, jewelries, insane amount of cash in multitude of currencies, even remote islands and now that he will be the next King by default, all those meant nothing to Doyoung but this bijou is the last proof of his parent’s existence. This pendant is a frozen heart that his own father forged himself that contains all memories of his past years that his mother took and preserved. No one knew how to thaw the gem, even his beloved uncle don't. All that the community knows that this is the first time a high-born suppresses their own child’s instinct and memory in pursuit acquiring mastery of human studies and the idea itself were absurd and opposed but seeing fine young minds of Bogum and Gongmyung, they were the exemplar of this avant-garde practice and discipline.

  
He traced its ivory inlay and wondering what’s exactly his power is, or is he destined for greatness just like his older brothers. His musing where interrupted once Myungsoo on the driver’s seat announced that they arrive to his new school – Crimson Well Academy. The servant opened the trunk and unloaded two suitcases containing his clothes and personal effects as his brand new school required the student to stay through out the academic year.

  
Doyoung surveyed the vicinity; from where he’s standing he guessed that he is in the middle of a deep ravine with thickets and greeneries. He can’t see a single infrastructure to hold a place for learning exclusively for vampires. “Young Master, just follow me.” Myungsoo was dragging his wheeled suitcases and went through the splinter-filled vines without hesitation of itchiness and possible abrasions form the plant’s thorns. Although cynic, Doyoung followed unceremoniously. He took the first step and he just went through the spiny creeper, realizing that it was only an illusion. After walking with what seems 10 meters, he beheld effervescent scenery of lush vegetation, vibrant colored plants, a high tower looming the skies, a cauldron-like manifestation and a colossal granite statue of a hooded gargantuan towering him stoically like an overwatcher where Myungsoo was waiting.  
“This is the Scarlet Reaper, the first guardian or at least his essence.” Myungsoo introduced. The statue suddenly moves, rusty creaks from its stone joints were emanated as the animation started. Myungsoo held out his right hand, palm facing the statue and the stone guardian flaps his earthen robe like an acknowledgement of machismo as the servant cross the invisible borders and resumed his standing pose. He motioned for Doyoung to come closer, “Held out your hand and let the reaper extract your blood. Don’t panic or you will be heavily injured.”

Doyoung does as he is told. After neatly folding his sleeves to show his forearms, he presented his right limb and anticipating a little brutal blood pact. As soon as he held out his hand, the Scarlet Reaper unsheathed its cutlass and lacerated his forearm letting crystalline fluid ooze out of his skin. He recoiled from the surge of discomfort. From the open wound, the gush of blood mystically flows to the giant’s mouth, similar to ingesting his essence. Five seconds after the suction, the giant spitted out a crystal gem encrusted in a silver loop with a peculiar scaly texture – reptilian and cold.

“Wear it.” Myungsoo said after the ritual is finished. “How in the actual world would I wear this earring? None of my ears are pierced.” Doyoung chastised. “Hold it near your ear it will latch itself into you.” Upon bringing up the trinket, it snaked to his ears, piercing but not hurting him at all. “Well done, Your Majesty. You’re officially a student of Crimson Well.”

Doyoung pranced the green grounds with confidence in his step, but despite of the cool exterior he’s flaunting, he couldn’t help himself to wonder why other students were paying him more attention than he expected. The minute he saw other enrollees, Doyoung witness a spectacular display of lively crowd – magnificent array of super natural talent ranging from levitating objects to dancing flames, a parade of singing plants, little fairies scattering their glitters and dust and normal human sports like basketball and football. The crowned prince deemed the setting like a high school hallway with a magical twist. But in the middle of it, the students always stop and stares at him and he can’t size up the real reason.

Upon entering the edifice, Doyoung keep the astonishment caused be that grandeur of the castle and its arrangement. After the first flight of stairs, Myungsoo notified Doyoung that the headmistress’ office is in the right wing and he should proceed there immediately and unaccompanied, assuring him that he can navigate it on his own. “Remember, she liked stars and pink, too.” His servant go ahead of the opposite corridor where dormitories where held. However uncomforting and whimsy the description was, Doyoung just waked on his own/

This particular passage was deserted with students and he likes it more that way, no eyes that could pry and scrutinize him. He had been traversing the seemingly never-ending hallway but he couldn’t find any door with stars or any door at all for that matter. Deciding that he’s in a hopeless case, he swears to ask for help on the very first soul he will encounter.

Clicking his tongue from overdue irritation, he turned back to retrace his tracks all the way back to the stairs but he heard a pixie laughter. It was faint but still he needed assistance. “Hello! Is any body there?” The laugh become more audible as if the one who produce it is beside you but no other entity was in sight. “Please stop creeping. I’m pretty new here and I'm lost.” The giggles stopped abruptly. When he was thankful that the creepy experience, he smelled something burning and rotten and then aromatic and fresh then those fused making a chaotic hit on his nose and comes ear-scratching screams of multiple voices, summoning for salvation. Doyoung can’t bear it anymore. Muffling the noise with his hands wasn’t enough to ease the unseen invasion so he dropped to the ground and sheltered his head between his legs to dampen the shrilling.

All of those inexplicable stopped when he felt a palm making contact to his back and he immediately looked to the owner of the hand. His eyes behold a very youthful looking boy with a worried expression plastered in his beautiful face. The unknown man helps him get back to his soles and dusted his pants. “Your Highness? Forgive for touching thy body. It’s my fault and I must be punished for my insolence.” Once Doyoung was properly standing, he notice how the petite man was crouching with one knee and hands latched on the ground and head down leveling to his feet and he can make up that he was a student too because he’s wearing the prescribed attire.

Doyoung held out his hand but the boy in kowtow hesitates to accept his piety so he had other option but to force him out of his self-induced misery. The boy flinched with the manly grip that gently impels him to rise, standing good inches shorter than the monarch and blushed profusely when the prince’s prominent Adam’s apple came to his view causing his head to look back down to the ground out of instinct. The ice prince cupped the boy’s chin to peer down properly on his savior.

“I couldn’t express my gratitude enough for gracing me your presence but can you show me the way to the headmistress’ office?” Doyoung asked straight to the point. He wanted to take his time and marvel to the beauty of the newfound child, to inhale more of his bottomless black orbs lined by thick lashes and full lips. He was indeed adorable, even his asymmetrical ears: right slightly pointier than the other and garnishing his youthful face a dash of spring. He wanted to talk to him more but his disposition suggests that he is at a hurry just like him.

  
“Just go back and count 2 alley intersections then turn to thy right. I shall take my leave now if I may, my King.” The lovely intruder ask with reverence so he complied and even smiled crept in his features. The boy smiled, though very fleeting, is still breath taking, and sprinted with his nimble legs to the other direction. Name? Doyoung forgot to ask for the boy’s name, but the heck he thought. It’s easier to find vampires cooped up in this institution since they are a few of them – this is what he thinks.

“What in the tarnation made you this giddy, Cuz?” Doyoung must have grew fond of the stranger in that short span that he failed to realized he had been smiling all the while until Johnny came. “I’m glad can smile now.” Johnny who’s donning the similar uniform but a royal blue tie gestures to a peppy looking door. How can I miss that? Doyoung thought to himself as he takes a good second to look at the hot pink vinyl door with glittery stars of various sizes pelted on it.

Doyoung was expecting to see lots of girly stuff but he wasn’t ready for the sight of overly childish tea party set up and all the pinkness burns his eyes and the only exception from the mass pink monstrosity was a wooden music box laid carefully in the center. “As expected from an ice prince, aloof exterior and godly face. So Chai or Earl Grey?” A lady dressed in what seem like what a five-year old girl would wear while roleplaying a princess asked him while holding out a porcelain teapot. “Hibiscus if you may...Headmistress.” After pouring a gray concoction in one cup then a rosy brew on the other from the same pot, the dame sit on the long-stretch table overlaid with pink lacy linen.

“Hmmm you had the penchant for pink, too. You already got me. But sadly, Hibiscus tea doesn’t live its lively color. You can call me Tiffany, headmistress make me feel like a senile dotard.” Tiffany motioned for him to sit on the only empty chair between a washed-out stuffed bear and unicorn with no eyes. Doyoung followed the order and making a mental note not to ask anything age-related.

Tiffany took sips of her hot beverage then chugged a piece of brownie while Doyoung just test one in his cup. He was too immersed to behave because the amount of creepy un-eyed stuff animal makes him fell like a criminal in surveillance. “Okay let’s start with the basics. This is Crimson Well Academy, founded by the ideals of the first seven hosts. The castle itself was built on the finest stones Pallas Catria created from the world’s finest substance. Our curriculum is leniently divided into three main categories: Humanities, Mysticism and War Mastery.  In order to graduate, a young vampire should be at least two hundred fifty years old and completing a minimum of 1998 academic units, at least 666 on each prime categories. Based on your credentials, you’re immune on taking humanities courses. Any questions?” Doyoung hated introductions, especially school policy introduction since they are so unnecessary but in this case, that was too short and the headmistress is doing a lousy job of briefing him. “No further questions, ma’am.”

He wanted to get out as soon as possible, planning to voice out his concerns formulated in his head to Johnny or Ten, but he heard voices: “What’s Mysticism, it sounds so COOL!?” “Is that the best you could do, you old hag?” “I’m hungry. Where is the kitchen?”

He panicked because it was his own voice and those were not produced by his own mouth. Doyoung notice that three out of the four stuffed animals started talking and copying his voice while animating his hidden thoughts. He observed that they copied his eye colors. Tiffany chuckles and gathers the four plushie in her lap showcasing them to the lad. “This is the bear of condescending courage, it mimics your roughest side” she patted the black bear’s head who punches her boob and demanding more information, “While the sheep is the voice of thoughtlessness and pure innocence.” Tiffany kissed the sheep’s fluffy head as it started snoozing. “This is the unicorn of adventure, it reflects the things you aim for.” She just let the unicorn hop on the table and stampede on the surface causing the unfinished teas spilling on the pink covers. The last animal, which appears to have a wing and a beak, was still uncolored and unmoving unlike the other three. “This baby is still unconnected with you.”

The headmistress handed him the lonely stuffed animal. “Work on your positive attitude. It’s your first homework, once you made it talk, come back to me for a special gift. That’s all.” Tiffany clapped her hands and wants to shoo him away. “Oh here’s your schedule. I almost forgot. I'd be away. Castle duties. Tadi-Hoo!” The lady threw out an awfully pink paper containing his name, a timetable and words he does have zero knowledge of – like architectomatrix, bioarcanology, theory of familiars before slamming the freakishly pink door.

“That voodoo doll is hideous. Why did she give this to you? Isn't this too Excelsian.” Doyoung was startled with Johnny and Ten’s presence. The shorter took his schedule after giving the dolly a good long stare and inspected it with vigilance.

“Let’s head to the dining hall. My worms are rampaging and it’s almost lunch.” Johnny was holding his stomach. “And why do you have zero classes on Humanities, that’s so lucky of you. Human classes are boring. And what do you got there?” Ten reached for his new earrings. “I got it from the Scarlet Reaper.”

“I’m calling injustice here! Why can you have a fancy ass earring everyone can see when a back tattoo.” Ten stomped his feet like a big brat.

“As I if like the attention.” Doyoung whispered so as not to catch more eyes his way as they pass the sea of vampires when the trio entered the dining hall. True to his words, he knew, even without memories that he wasn’t born to be under the spotlight. He's okay with the attention when it had to do with the things he does but not this kind of attention.

“Hon, shut it. Doyoungie don’t have Humanities because all his life was dedicated to human academics and to think of, he’s on a difficult footing since he had no chance to know this world. And you’re tattoo is sexy. As for you mister, you should act and  behave properly.” Johnny take a seat on an empty table where food magically poofed in the middle. “Yum, blood donuts!”

“Why is that? What do you hold against me? And Ew! I thought we are prohibited to consume blood.” Doyoung asked confidently. It’s not that Doyoung plans to misbehave, he just curious with the amount of paranoia in his cousin voice.

“It’s strawberry and raspberry mix, the chief pixie loves to name the menu weirdly and uncreatively. You are the crowned prince, you have to act, speak and think properly.” Johnny mustered before crunching on his own.

“Why? How can they possibly know that I am one? Is there a magic tabloid circulating, containing gossips of an orphan prince transferring to this school because last time I checked, that’s breach of privacy.” Doyoung tried to taste the bread and he found it too sweet so he grasps the nearest goblet to chug but he spitted out the contents immediately. “What’s this, it taste like piss.”

“I’m not gonna ask when and why did you happen to know how piss taste but this is bitterroot ale. Non-alcoholic. Full of vitamins and taste like beer. Breach of privacy? I never looked at it that way. Harry Potter must be scarred all this time. But anyway, you’re wearing purple tie, moron.” Ten said cutely, pondering on the thought while red jam spill from the corners of his mouth.

“What’s wrong with this tie? You’re wearing purple, too. And besides isn’t this the required uniform?”

“Bruh! There is hierarchy in this school and the color of your tie dictates your position in hierarchy. Let me educate you. Purple is the color of the heirs of the hosts of each houses.” Ten seemed to be too fascinated narrating.

“So you’re telling me you’re in line for your own throne?” Doyoung asked.

“At last! You’re learning. Ten Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul: crowned prince of Supereminenti.” Ten bowed like he was presenting himself like a gift to the world. “ Royal Blue.” He fished out Johnny’s pristinely knotted tie “are for royal bloods. Prince and princes not in line to any throne don this as well as their consort and children.” It makes sense to Doyoung. Before, Doyoung could imagine that Johnny and ‘royal’ is never a thing unless Johnny royally fucked up but looking at how he walks now and how he carries himself with dignified conviction, he could definitely picture his beloved cousin as princely.

“You see the girls hanging over there.” Doyoung look over to the table where Ten not-so-subtly pointed and the were wearing all red ties and giggling towards the trio. “Red are for pure bloods. And look closely to the tallest of them all.” Doyoung squinted harder to see the variation in her tie. “That’s Tzuyu the try hard, good-for-nothing, half-blood.” Clearly, Ten was holding to an unsettled grudge over the girl.

“Something tells me pink are for half- bloods.” Doyoung said, pondering on new learnings, and formulating solutions on the problems that his obvious status brings.

“She’s Johnny’s ex.”, Ten revolted.

“No, she’s not. How many times I told you I never flirted back!” Johnny defended.

“So being her date during the Blue Moon Ball does not count as flirting then I don’t know what is. Moving on, green are for badborns. Badborns are originally humans who consume so much vampire blood that they attain our level, and in case you ask, badborns didn’t exist in this, they exist just in my imagination just like Johnny’s fling.”

“That’s enough, that’s fifty years ago. Let’s just go to our next class. The truth is there are still badborns, illegitimate and a result of uncharted hunger. Most of the time, they are not adopted by those who cause him or her death so that kind of vampires live their life without support from vote human and vampire community,” The trio exited the dining hall and walk to the open grounds. The journey was not so peaceful as the couple kept bickering. Halfway to the Astral Tower, the spat halted as the three felt a surge of energy pressuring from the sky. When they look up, they saw an unidentified white free-falling body. The white spot becomes bigger and it forms frilly like cloth flowing against the wave current. Doyoung realized that it was a humanoid body in a white robe plummeting down to the solid grounds so he was petrified that laws of physics spelled death  for whoever that person was.

“Howdy! My younger cousin!” The free-falling body magically breaks his fall like he commanded gravity as a very thin boy with dirty blonde hair and an edgy taste in fashion greeted him. The new stranger was wearing a poncho style robe with open mid section and an extensive sleeve with slit to allow his hands to move freely that seemingly burdensome and uncomfortable to wear but the newfangled vampire made it flow like cottony cloud. He can feel the power emanating from him and the purple tie he donned was justified with his presence.

What’s more perplexing than the robe was the black fabric with a bulging red ‘X’ printed on it blindfolding him. “Doyoung-ah! I’m sorry for your lost, but I’ll do my best to make up for it.” The short man hugged him and he felt a natural yearning being satisfied. He felt uncomfortably comfortable.

“Taeil, stop scaring him. It’s his first time meeting you.”

“But he said he’s and I quote ‘uncomfortably comfortable with me’, Johnny. His blood knows we’re family.” The Taeil guy mused, clearly contented with whatever the feeling their shared hug provides.

“But I didn’t say anything.”

“Taeil it this era’s greatest seer. You see, here. Normally, host comes from the royal family to preserve the purity of blood and like a hundred thousand years ago, they just inter-marry the crap out of each other like a cesspool of incest. The incestuous practice was long discontinued but the royal blood line is still followed by the most with slight variations like the House of Fire selects their heir as the first male born.” Johnny explained didactically. “But Excelsi, the House of Vision, does not recognize royalties. They choose the heir based on potential power.”

“Every newborn Visionary is drowned in some kind of well and the higher the splash is the more divine power the baby possesses. I know tragic and morbid! How can they toss defenseless babies in cold water! His little lungs can’t handle that much water, so much more the temperature.” Ten said in a matter-of-factly tone.

“Have you ever witnessed an Excelsian Presentation?" Johnny hinted condescendingly as he glares at Ten's bold choice of words.

“No.”

“Figures...They just get like a pint of mystic water and pour that on his head like washing the baby’s hair for the first time and the reaction determines a Visionary’s dormant or gated power. The reactions ranges from floating droplets to as violent as creating vapor but Taeil’s presentation is a hallmark of spectacles. According to first hand accounts, when he just was a pea-size being saddled up in the dent near the Well of Future, the water evaporated then clouds manifested from the vapor and subsequently drizzled to the concrete and plants spring into life.”

Doyoung is amazed by that story. I’ll be sad if that was a fake story. This guy looks awkwardly powerful.

“It’s a true story. I assure you. And I can read minds in case your wondering.” Taeil smiled warmly at him and Doyoung couldn’t be thankful enough. The clock from the main castle gonged signaling the next period, but the big problem is that they were still several yards too far.

The four sprinted and blindfolded Taeil was rallying them. Doyoung thought to ask later how he could see without his eyes. He totally forgetting that his newly acquainted cousin has mind reading powers. “I have an eye to see.” The shorter raised his right hand, backside facing Doyoung while skillfully dodging rocks in their path. There were white arcs enclosing a squabble circle drawn across his cousin’s skin forming an eye. Doyoung thought it was an inanimate tattoo but the absurd happen as the outline blinks like normal eyes. ‘Creepy’ “But handy” ‘But why do even have blindfold?’ Doyoung found Taeil’s mindreading capability convenient as he can openly communicate and still focus on running. “Long story...Perhaps next time...” The older dismissed him.

“Just on time!”

Astral Tower was an amphitheater. The bleachers surrounded an opaque black lake that hides its depth. A colossal brass statue of a maiden dual wielding a poleaxe tucked on the water surface in her right and a spear pointing at the heaven in the left was in the center of the stadium. A spew of smoke materialized at the war maiden’s forehead and a flash of fire later, a middle-aged woman with a short stature, sporting fiery short hair appeared. “Okay class, today is Tuesday and a New Moon so you all know what that means.” The crowd cheered vigorously and Doyoung who was currently seated at the uppermost set where you can mistake those below as ants is astounding. Even his companions were hooting and screaming.

“That’s Mrs. Flammel, our practicum professor. She’s quite the cool one, but you should know your limits.” Johnny informed the newcomer. Doyoung couldn’t put it though as the woman seemed to have a permanent frown on her face. “She doesn’t give the vibe, though. But you just see how she enters her class with style.”

“Let it be me! Let it be me!” Ten’s eyes were shut and fingers were crossed and uttering the phrase like mantra and Doyoung seems lost.

“It’s an all-out duel, you can use all your potentials as the maiden can mitigate the pact temporarily.” Taeil said as if he’s riding his thoughts.

Crap! He’s reading my mind! “I’ll teach you the basics of blocking mind reading as it is a common capability, Doyoung-ah. But for now, students are eager to be chosen so they can freely exercise their gift since the Scarlet Reaper’s token” my earrings? “Yes your earrings. It’s lovely by the way.” stop reading my mind! “You’re actually screaming in your head. And as I was saying, these ornaments modulates the bearer’s power, taking all that can cause death instantaneously or powers that’s sole effect was to harm and dampening non-lethal abilities to some extent.” Is’ that blindfold your token? “No. Mine’s an anklet chime.” Taeil raised his pants to reveal a gold chain with two golden globules conjointly tied along, then rustling his feet to authenticate the chime-part. ‘Neat.’

The inanimate statue suddenly move and thrusting her weapon’s sideways and a receptacle of light beamed out of the tips of her blade works. Each beam dances around the stadium and the hype soar until they stopped and latched a link on the individuals. The lights turned into distinct Chroma’s: green on a boy with innocent eyes in the middle rows and gold on a tall girl at the very first row. “Okay come down here Dong Sicheng and Jana Montgomery”

It was him! Doyoung felt a cold wave wash him out as he wasn’t expecting to see the beauty right away. Dong Sicheng: A beautiful name for a beautiful creature. He tried to suppress his mental adoration but he realized that the Vision’s heir was smirking at him coyly and mouthing him to spill the juice when the opportunity permits.

“This is an unfair battle.” Doyoung was worried with Johnny’s initial appraisal. Was it unfavorable on the boy?

“Theoretically, Sicheng got it rough – being support oriented is almost unfavorable in an all-out duel. Practically, he got even rougher. Jana is from Pallas Catria and her mastery of annoying shape shifting is a tough wall as she can alter between her three formes without significantly exposing herself betwixt the switch. But we’ll see. Sicheng is a top-tier tactician.” Ten said with eloquence, as if he’s a knowledgeable general.

“Ten is quite a war freak.” Taeil whispered to him.

“I’m a duel enthusiast!!!" The lightning heir's hearing is as sharp as his ravaging bolts, or his tongue.

“He’s a war freak.” The tallest among the four confirms positively.

When the competitors passed the palisade separating the seats from the arena, they step on the water and floated. The arena was in fact a half-a-sphere with its flat edge is at 180-degree the lake’s face.

“Bow to each other.” Their instructor told them. With his right arms folded across his midriff, Sicheng do as instructed and his opponent who was currently standing at least 30 feet away mirrored the noble rite. “Anddddddd let the games BEGINN!!!” Mrs. Flammel’s voice boomed causing the students rampant cheers for their bet.

Jana’s whole body is now enveloped in a gem like mineral, akin to diamond but with tinged of scarlet in edges. She began her assault in a snap, charging her way to the guy who's now holding a translucent zither, tuned with seven silver strings.

Sicheng manage to dodge the heavy barrel rampaging with ease, despite carrying an added weight of a musical instrument. "Why is he playing a freaking musical instrument? He needs to fight back that monster or he'll be beaten to pulp." Doyoung observed the boy in the round plucking the silver chords with nimble hands while skillfully avoiding the battery of rather slow punches and kicks directed at him.

"I know, Jana is a tough nut to crack. But Sicheng is wise to postpone any attacks as bloodstone forme enhance Jana's attack and ability to take a hit with some sacrifice of mobility. But look at his actions closer." Ten sounds like a mad man explaining. "So you're saying that girl can transform to a golem when all he can do is play a harp?  And how am I supposed to see clearer when  they're miles away. This seat sucks." Doyoung was in the middle of panic that Sicheng will hurt himself and annoyance because the rest of the class we're too loud hustling and howling their bets, seemingly a scene in a murderous cockpit.

"Here." Ten shoved him a platinum framed monocle. "Where that and it will zoom."

"Hey! That monocle is not in the list of approved magical items. Harnessing, creating, sale, trade and possession of unstable magically-infused items are an expellable offense." Johnny looks flabbergasted but Doyoung still use the monocle and amazed how the battle was so in his face, as if he was just viewing a fantastic action/fantasy in 3D.

"Loosen-up! You're boring people with your student handbook knowledge. For once, can you contain your urge to be a goody-two shoes. And if I know, you just abhor the Mad Scientist of Emperata." Ten redirected his attention to Doyoung and explain more. "Did you observe how his right hand and left hand perform inconsistent notes?" Doyoung nod, ask if he knows how to play any instruments. "Sicheng plays two different spells at the same time. The anthem of celerity to boost his agility and the fanfare of decadence which negates all use of magic in an area. His truly a master of his craft." Ten said.

"But fanfare of decadence is a conduit spell, he needs another ally to create the space and I can't see anybody who he can tag with, it's a 1v1 battle." Johnny shot, questioning the sanity of Sicheng's choices.

"How ignorant of you. That's what you get from being a goody-two-shoes enslaved by the rules shaped by those who really rules." Doyoung yelped from his concentration, thus he yelled 'What gives?!' when Ten pulled the magic monocle from him and gave it to Johnny. "Wear that and you'll see."

Once the tallest aligned the eye piece in his sight, the seemingly innocent play of punches turns into a tarantella of ritual movements as his vision zooms in. The Catrian woman was throwing random punches with her bejeweled fist but Sicheng was repeatedly dancing in the same pattern. Yes, Sicheng was precise and agile in leaving energy symbols in the ground. "That's too much summoning circles but I couldn't see any other creatures in the fray." "Look at his face carefully." Ten instructed and Johnny followed. Sicheng is sweating cold bullets, clearly fatigued from playing two high rank spells and creating gates but his lips were moving but he can't hear him obviously.

"My guess is that he's casting Gale Veil to cloak Emerald in plain sight. Can you confirm this, High Seer." Ten looked at Taeil, more like on his right hand where the painted eye is.

"Emerald is to and fro from her gate, appearing in the most precise location around the map. I must say, Sicheng plans to end it in a minute as this form is the easiest for a maim set-up as the other two are either way to fast or too much area coverage. He very well knew prolonging this battle will result into a devastating defeat so he's sneakily ending it." Taeil calmly affirms.

"Who's Emerald? And how can you see something we couldn't see?" Doyoung asked curiously.

"He's Sicheng's familiar, a two-tailed fox with golden fur and a green gemstone in her forehead. You see Doyoung, you have to learn not to trust your eyes, now that your up high in the chair, not officially but still, vampires here possess not only wealth and political power, but supernatural, too." Taeil lectures him based on firsthand encounters.

"And maybe being blind deprives me of colors but it let me focus on picking up energy." Taeil said, rubbing his hands all together. 'He can be blind but he's eyes are open enough to know the truth.', Doyoung thought subconsciously. "Ah! it feels great to be worshipped by this cute fellow." Taeil mused.

"Everybody worships you, High Seer. If anyone was more exalted as you that could only be the Highest Seer in the Seat." The Vision's heir blushed a little but Ten said the remark in a confounding tone, appreciative, yes, but irritated in too much humble Taeil can be.

"I can't believe he has the stamina to play two spells, dodging blows, summon every now and then, and verbally cast haze magic all at once. His map control is much more to commend. He does deserves his spot at the Circle of Ten." Johnny said.

"I knew Ten repulsive enough to be in a gang but a frat leader is over the top and…"Doyoung pause for a moment and incredulously looks at the shortest, "the 'Circle of Ten' is a lame name." Doyoung said, retrieving the bewitched monocle from the tallest. The anticipation and worrisome eats him. Within him, there is a restless spirit that urges him to ensure Sicheng's safety. 'Like a family.' He reasoned. 'He looks a lot like Jisung.'

"I can rule the world if the members of the Circle is at my disposal. But seriously, the Circle of Ten comprises the Top students - being at the paramount of power, wisdom, allegiance to the Bureau and favors from the Hosts. These the young vampires expected to run the Earth and guard it's safety. Dong Sicheng, the Maven of Harmony, currently holds 9th and Jana Montgomery is in the 10th. I introduce them to you sometime, tomorrow." Ten assured him.

"That would be damn. Sicheng and Jana seems to be powerful and…" 'The stronger ones would probably a stock up'. "No they are not, they will like you for sure." Taeil encourages the newbie upon 'hearing' his concern.

"The High Seer likes you, that's one." Johnny said, winking at Taeil.

"You're a member, too. You're quite the character." Doyoung figured out that his Excelsian is pretty powerful and placing the top is very befitting on his demeanor as he complemented him earnestly.

"Some members already knew your whereabouts and believe me, the Heart of Tempest and the Cold Executioner is very much fond of you Doyoung-ah." Ten said hugging him.

"That's so creepy. Even their title is creepy. How could people I barely socialize with be fond of me."

"I'm the Heart of Tempest, Doyoung-ah, I seated at 8th placed." Ten pointed his lips to the tallest. "The Cold Executioner soars among the ranks as he's third while the High Seer himself is Second. And all of them loves you very much." Ten buried his small face in Doyoung, letting his warmth assure him that he's not alone and family could be anyone he chooses.

"I just can't believe I'm friends with rockstars." Doyoung said, lightening the mood. He doesn't want to be the recipient of pity. He will probably do well as the Ice Host, ever since, he must have frozen his own tears to not let them stream down his incongruent eyes.

"There's still many appalling members, though. I couldn't stress it anymore but some of them are ruthless and some are just plain unreasonable." Johnny contested. Ten is about to protest the statement but Johnny cut him off with, "No, Ten. You're a Suprem, you're a social butterfly. "Thieves, lunatics and murderers can be your friends just because you're too positive. The Mad Scientist is a little bit emo, the Tome Acolyte is emo, too but a toned-down, Milady Zephyr is an air-head heiress sure, I can bear them and their quirks. I mean why are you in good terms with the Ember Walker."

"I hope it's a complement but really, you're just jealous because we were childhood friends, and you're a little bit behind our past." Ten teases his lover, hooking him up. He decided that a jealous Johnny is a cute Johnny.

The cheers broke their brewing banter. Jana's bloodstone body seems to be reaching its limits and her patience to land a strike on the Valid guy's face is already at maximum. The formidable Catrian started chanting, red shards falling off her body and thorns replacing them. "If you're too scared of lashing your pretty face, then I'll just torture you with poison. This time, your nimbleness would be futile, Milord. The dome would be my domain." Jana taunted cockily and the crowd went wild as vines and spinster covered her body. "I must commend you for reaching out this point. Many failed too witness my higher forme, but still, I'll hand over your puny ass, too you."

"Time's up Lady Montgomery." Sicheng bids as he structs the last chord. Lime light surge from where Sicheng is standing and lines of energy interwoven. In the field, a huge bright green crest of skullish image contacted from certain point scattered around decorated the whole expanse of the floor. "Fanfare of Decadence! Dispel unwanted energy." The lines once forming a mystical image sticks out of the ground and envoys a green singularity, sucking energy from both of the gladiators. Jana's forest forme disintegrates rapidly, vines and roots cracking and thorns wither. Sicheng, too seems to be weakened as his zither vanishes into thin air.

"You think a silly disarming spell would turn tides and favor you? Pathetic. If you're scared with my pumped-up punches then how about a hand-to hand comba- AHHHHHH" Jana's hustling is interrupted by a gust of blue energy from a little ball of fur behind her, cauterizing the flesh of her back almost reaching her heart.

Then the hemisphere was covered in opaque red rendering the space within hidden. Blood red swells.

And the it clots and thickens and hardens until the layer sheds afresh.

Both champions were reverted back in their original positions before the fight ensues. Bowing to each other again in acceptance of the result and Mrs. Flammel ushering them back to their places outside the mystic dome.

"What just happened?" Curious cat Doyoung asked to Ten who seemingly enjoys explaining anything and everything to him the moment he enters Crimson Well.

"Well, the duel ended. The blood drenching the dome symbolizes the near-passing. In the arena, a duel can only end once one of the fighter experience gripping the last strands of life, the verge of death. But that sacred grounds prevents anyone justified to enter from dying.  It is said that, in dying, we receive the confirmation of our life. The grounds protected by the Astral Tower teaches us the value of life and what we will dare to give just to preserve it." Doyoung is awed at how eloquent Ten is, quite far from the free-spirited Ten that he revels as his best friend.

"Please it be Kill the King, please let it be me." Ten started crossing is fingers an uttering the chant during the first selection process. Doyoung admiration short live as Ten reverted back to his goofy antics.

"Practical classes are usually the longest but it's only a two-day a week show so…it's a spectacle for both the viewer-students and aspiring champions. Number of events vary, depending on length of the actual battles but happenings vary ranging from Monster Siege were a team must cooperate to detain the monster, Team Battle and Duels were team or individual must kill  their counterpart, Royal Ramble which declares the winner as the last man breathing and Kill the King which objective is to kill the designated 'King' of the opposing team." Johnny explained this time as Ten is too occupied with his ritual.

"Told you. He's a war freak." Taeil whispered a lot less audibly but he thinks Ten still heard it basing from the vein popping out of his forehead but the accused boy just filtered it away and focusing on his trance.

Soon the battle made started animating again. Poleaxe and Spear on the opposite side emitting a single stand of light. The crowd goes 'Yeahhh!', but Ten goes 'Awwww.' "Not duels again! It hurts my participation chance!." Ten screamed in crestfallen manner while the class hearty cheers drown his wallow but he sobers back to positivity and praying to some gods, asking the for him to be picked and allow him to showoff. Doyoung hypothesized that the number of light from the tip of each weapon dictates the participants but he couldn't quite picture how the maiden operates when it's Monster Siege or Battle Royal but Taeil supplied him the answer 'She casts both her weapons to the sky for Battle Royals, and below the lake for Monster Siege.'.

Ten was screaming when one light is surfing his way only to be latch on Doyoung. The Ice Prince is petrified, not just because it's he's first time, not just because he doesn't know how to tap his powers yet, not just because the whole stadium's eyes burned him, but also the bearing the burden of having the crown on his head - there is a sense of obligation not to tarnish his nation yet the more compelling intrapersonal force is his that the qualm of severe disqualification is swimming in his head. He barely knew his lineage, this school, and now himself.

There was a momentary silence when the light has chose it's warrior. And then riot explodes. 'It's a purplefest!' 'It would be a fight of the term!' Doyoung keeps hearing comments that matters but it supposedly won't. 'It's the Emper and Xeon heirs'. 'That's the newblood, how's he going to keep up with the top dog.' 'The scientist is just one of the two unbeatables' Doyoung keeps looking at Johnny, then Ten, then Taeil, one by one, back and forth, mentally soliciting an advice.

"Just go." Ten wanted to add a 'enjoy the pain' but he's too mortified with his last battle with the Mad Scientist that he can't make a joke out of it. Johnny, too, was acutely erratic and unable to let his words out. Taeil can't actually give him any better, just a 'Good Luck!'.

"God, what a bitter start. Seriously, good luck is all you can manage?" Ten felt awful sending his emotionally battered best friend down only to taste the icing of physical pain to top.

"I haven't face him yet. What can I say?" Taeil coolly shrugged.

"Kim Doyoung. Qian Kun. On your position." The practicum professor buzzed both boys to be in a definite distance. When he's ready, or at least his stance makes him appear to be, Doyoung met big dark eyes on a frail looking boy. Qian Kun standing below the Ice Prince, sporting the same uniform with the same purple and white stripped tie. "Bow to each other." When two heirs lift their heads, Mrs. Flammel was ousted out of the dome, leaving the two champions by themselves.

Doyoung's first instinct was to run away and buy more time to figure out something. He concentrated his thoughts on conjuring ice shards from his hand but he crashed on an unknown object, sending him down face ready for impact. One, two and a half seconds later and he hadn't felt pain, instead, he heard laughter, deranged and haunting, and the infusion of mint and rotten eggs drills his nose, just like the hallway incident. He open his eyes and he's face to face with the black lake but he's levitating. The nausea is building up in his system, crashing his ability to think properly and the will to fight back evading him slowly.

"This is not good. Kun is not using his bag of toys!" Ten was alerted on the anomaly. The Mad Scientist does not live up his name. Kun never dared to manipulate water even if he reigns over it unless it determines the score of an exam in Mysticism. He always plays with his inventions, tricking and blasting energy from machines he's genius mind birthed.

"He's possessed." Taeil said before mysteriously conjures his scepter and vanished.

The crowd of vampires reissues their screams, from absolute hype that Kun is finally utilizing water to fight as he melts his body into puddle and relocate at the path of Xeon's, sending him to the ground to a tormented scream as the large tentacle with razor spines lining the suctions emerges from the dark deep, catching Doyoung from his fall. The monster's monstrosity doesn't compare when the Kun reappear with bloodied eyes, grand black irises submerged in the pooling aquamarine liquid. His mouth gagged open, vomiting more deep navy blood. Another tentacle resurfaces, making its way to the captive and unconscious Doyoung. On of damaging suction cup made contact with the Ice Prince's back, cutting the pristine fabric and piercing his flesh, white skin tainted with crystal blue blood. Doyoung's pain overrides the nausea, eyes shutting open, agony in display.

Soon the red opaque blood forms around the dome, signifying the end of brutal manslaughter.

But it stop.

It didn't thicken nor hardened, no clotting and shedding, too.

The blood wears thin like water.

And the hemisphere reveals the happening inside.

"You're a disgusting filth to the lineage." a null voice emanated from Kun's mouth. The Emper was in a frenzy of crazy laughter. The horrid tentacles are no wear out of sight but the Xeon is still at his own pool of blood. Doyoung's back is exposed to the crown, tattered like a soft fruit crushed to pulp, bones visible and crystalline blood drizzles out.

Soon the battle maiden acts on her own, lashing her colossal weaponry towards the offender but Kun just waved his hand, the statue dropped her weapons and crouched herself into a bow, too rigid too be done on own volition.

"Kun is a freaking blood mage! That's why he's modest about his powers. He can tamper with anything in this vampire sanctuary!" Ten realized that the very protection Crimson Well offers is derived from blood pacts and being a blood mage spells danger and atrocious demise so he didn't think twice he started shedding his skin, not minding the overwhelming scald from his back tattoo and resonate with his lightning body. Ten started raining the strongest bolts, trying his best to free his best friend even in a reduced state. "Ten, stop that! You're not just endangering other's with imperfectly controlled bolts. You're killing yourself! The Reaper will come for you." Johnny shouted from afar, riding on his eagle.

"That's the plan! I need to bring his slowpoke ass in here too see this. The battle maiden submitted herself so she's unable to be in touch with her honey-bunch!" Ten still manage to jest in the middle of an uncanny situation. True enough, the Scarlet Reaper trudges to the Astral Tower, ready to deliver nemesis upon the rowdy rule breaker. But he too, stopped and stoned in place.

The fiery professor immediately instructed other students to evacuate the tower. Stampede arises as the young vampires panic to get out.

Doyoung's puddle of blood flows through the air, making lines towards the Water Prince. The blood strings tied themselves up to Kun's fingers. "Get up so everybody can see your unworthiness." Kun tugs the strings and Doyoung's abused body manage to stand up out of his will. He's now a puppet at the hands of Kun.

"What better way to end your life than too end it with your own hands." Even Doyoung couldn't object his body moving on its own, hands in laid forward, palms up and he felts an avalanche in his hand as black ice of shard appears. "Oh, a Black Frost! What a lovelier way to end your day."

The upheaval of lightning was scratching the barrier of the dome but Ten couldn't keep up. Johnny must be the only who's sane enough to feel the suffocating amount of power contained a small space but insane enough to stay in the vicinity.

Pure beams of light soon drips from the clouds, radius as wide as the dome. "Ten go away! You'll be hit a divine energy! You're body won't handle two different energies!!!" Johnny notified the shorter but the other was too preoccupied with damaging the barrier. The pulsating beam is approaching at an immense speed and the only thing that he did was to get Ten out of the vicinity, not minding his own life.

The pure light drops, permeating the weakened barrier and washing out two crowned princes.

The fiasco cost a lot:

The Heart of Tempest, out of extreme emotions.

The Cold Executioner, out of frying upon contact with high voltage.

The Mad Scientist, out drowning into pure madness.

The Little Ice Prince, out of ravaging attacks.

And The High Seer, for bursting out divine energy so massive, it can obliterate all the world's darkness.

 


End file.
